Two-cycle engine.



J. T. DlGKSON.

TWO-CYCLE ENGNE.

APPLICATION flLEll NOV.11,1913. 1,128,234. Patented Feb. 9, 19154 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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J. T. DICKSON.

TWO-CYCLE ENGINE.

AYPLICATION FILED Nov.11,191s.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

W M W j fi/7715 @M50/7 JAMES T. DICKSON, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TWO-CYCLE ENGINE.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Application led November 11, 1913. Serial No. 800,363.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. DIcxsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Two-Cycle Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an internal combustion engine, preferably of the two-cycle type; and the invention consists particularly in certain mechanisms and arrangements whereby a simplified distribution of the combustible mixture is effected.

It is the prime object of this invention to provide a mechanism for handling and distributing the combustible mixture to the cylinders, and to compress the gases for the several cylinders in such a manner that the engine operation is of high efficiency.

It is also an object of this invention to provide such mechanism in very simple form.

The essentials of my invention include the i provision of a compression end on each of as indicated'by line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

` my improved the cylinders, and a special valve adapted to coperate with the pistons 1n the cylinders to deliver compressed gases into a reservoir.

which 4is immediately adjacent the several cylinders. Admission of the mixture from the reservoir to the several cylinders is effected by cylinder ports which are uncovered by the travel of the pistons. There being a comparatively large volume of gas in the storage reservoir or chamber, the explosion end of each cylinder is thoroughly filled every time the cylinder port is opened by the piston, thoroughly expelling the burned gases and giving the explosion end of the cylinders a clean fresh charge for its next stroke. Operating by this method, engine attains a high degree of efiiciency, and yet is of great simplicity when compared with a four-cycle engine of equal power and fuel efficiency. A

I describe my preferred form of engine in the following specification, the same being shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of my improved engine, Fig. 2 is a section taken Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a section taken as indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the valve.

In the drawings the numeral 10 may des- 1gnate aJ crank case of any desired configuratlon. I prefer to make the lower or compression ends of my cylinders integral withthe crank case. This is shown at 11 1n Fig. 1.. The explosion cylinder proper 12 1s mounted upon the crank case directly over each cylinder 11, so that the bores of the two cylinders are concentric. In mv preferred form of engine I have two coniplete cylinders and two pistons 13t These pistons 13 are lnade with their upper ends to travel in the upper cylinders 12 and with their lower ends enlarged as at 14 to travel 1n the lower or compression cylinders 11. The upper cylinders may be secured to the lower cylinders and thereby to the crank case by means of bolts 15, or by any other suitable fasteners. The. upper cylinders 12 have annular shoulders 16 which fit down into the lower cylinders 11 thereby insuring concentricity of the two cylinders. The lower cylinders need not be supplied with a water jacket; but the upper cylinders are supplied with the usual water jacket 17. Water may be introduced and discharged by any of the usual means. Ignition ofthe explosive mixture in the cylinders may be effected by any of the usual means.

The pistons 13 are connected by connecting rods 20 to the crank shaft 21, the throws of the crank shaft being arranged so that one piston is at the uppermost point of its str oke while the other is at its lowermost point. One piston is always traveling downwardly through its 'explosion stroke, thus giving a constant turning effect on the crank shaft 21. During the upward stroke of each piston gas is compressed in the lower cylinder 11. This compressed gas passes out of the upper ends of the cvlinders 11 through ports 25 in the lower Ledge of the walls of the upper cylinders 12. Mounted directly on the cylinders 12 is a combined pressure storage chamber and valve casing 30, having in its upper part a pressure storage chamber 31 and in its lower part they valve casing 32. A vertical rotating valve 33 is adapted to rotate in the casing 32. A shaft 34: carries the rotating valve, this shaft projecting downwardly to a coupling 35 which connects it with a shaft 36 driven by gears 37 from the crank shaft 21. These gears rotate the valve at even speed with the crank shaft; so that the valve makes a complete revolution for each complete revolution of the crank shaft.

mixture into the chamber 31.l

\ and down strokes of the pistons.

The upper end of the valve opens directly into the pressure storage chamber 31; and the louer end of the valve opens to the passage 3S through which mixture is drawn from the carbureter 39. The valve has two lateral ports 40 and 41 and an interior web l2 is so placed that port 41 connects with the upper open end 14 of the valve While the port 4l) connects with the lower open end 45. Mixture may be drawn through the valve through the port 40 from the carbureter 49. Compressed mixture may be forced through the valve through the port 41 up into the storage chamber 31. The casing 30 has ports 46 which register with the cylinder ports 25, one port 46 on each side of the valve 33. These ports 46 are widened lengthwise of the valve, as at 46, and are adapted to be registered by the ports 40 and +1 of the valve.

When the port 40 of the valve registers with one of the ports 46, then the corresponding piston may draw in explosive mixture from the carbureter; when the port 41 registers with the port 46a then one of the pistons may force compressed mixture into the storage chamber 31. The valve 33 is so timed that it correctly cooperates with the pistons. For instance, the piston 13 in Fig. 1 is shown at the bottom of its stroke ready to commence its up stroke to compress the explosive mixture. The port 41 of the valve is j" ust about to make connection with the port 46a connecting to that cylinder, allowing that piston to compress explosive At the same time, .the other piston is just beginning its down stroke, and the lower cylinder 11 of that piston is just about to be connected by the port 40 with the carbureter 39, so as to draw in explosive mixture. The ports are so proportioned that these said connections are cut olf at the ends of the respective up When the pistons reverse their movement, the valve 33 has progressed to a point where its ports 40 and 41 connect oppositely to the connection as just described; that is, port 40 will then connect to the cylinder shown in Fig. 1 while its piston 13 is on its down stroke, While port 41 will connect to the other cylinder while its piston is on its up stroke. The result of this operation is seen to be the continuous compression of explosive mixture into the chamber 31. The chamber 31 is connected by ports 50 directly into the lower ends of the upper cylinders 12. The ports 50 are positioned so that they are opened by the pistons 13 at their lowermost points of travel, as shown in Fig. 1. The ports 50 are of ample size to allow quick passage of the compressed gases from the chamber 31 into either cylinder. The piston 13 on its down stroke uncovers exhaust ports 51 and the exhaust gases are led into the atmosphere slightly before the inlet of fresh mixture from the chamber 31. By the time the port 50 opens, the pressure on the exhaust gases has been relieved; and the inrush of fresh gases over the piston head cleans out the ex-' haust gases and supplies the cylinder with a fresh charge, completely filling the cylinder. On the up stroke of the piston, the gases are compressed ready for firing. Each piston acts alternately, one being in its compression stroke while the other is in its firing stroke.

My preferred construction includes the essentials herein described. It is one of the particular features of this invention that a single rotary valve effects the complete distribution of gaseous mixture for a pair of cylinders. It is also a particular feature that the two compression units compress into a single common reservoir from which each of the explosion cylinders is fed. The effective areas of the cylinders 11 may be equal to or greater than the areas of cylinders 12. These areas may be so proportioned that the cylinders 12 are always supplied with a full charge of explosive mixture at an adequate pressure, say at or slightly above atmospheric pressure. The simplicity of my device is another feature to which I draw special attention. The casing 30 for the' valve 33 and for the storage chamber 31 is mounted directly upon the cylinders 12, sov that the cylinders form the back face of the chamber 31, as is best shown in Fig. 1. The casing 30 does not join directly with the cylinder l1 at any point, the ports 25 to the cylinder 11 being led' through the walls of the cylinders 12.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In combination, a crank case, a pair of compression'cylinders thereon, an explosion cylinder above each compression cylinder, said explosion and compression cylinders being non-integral and the lower edges of the explosion cylinders forming heads for the compression cylinders, a piston in each set of cylinders, each piston having an upper portion fitting the upper explosion cylinder and a lower portion fitting the lower compression cylinder, there being la port through the wall of each of the explosion chambers communicating below with the compression cylinder and emerging in the outer face of the explosion cylinder, a port above each of said first mentioned ports leading through the wall of Aeach explosion cylinder said port adapted to be uncovered by the downward travel of the corresponding piston, a casing secured directly to the upper explosion cylinders only and inclosing a pressure storage chamber in immediate connection to the last mentioned ports of both cylinders, an intake passage at the lower part of said casing and a valve in said casing adaptedlto alternatelyr connect each compression cylinder lio port to the intake passage and to the pressure storage chamber.

2. In combinatlon, a crank case, a pair of compression cylinders thereon, an explosion cylinder above each compression cylinder, said explosion and compression cylinders being non-integral and the lower edges of the explosion cylinders forming heads for the compression cylinders, a piston in each set of cylinders each piston having an upper portion fitting the upper explosion cylinder and a lower portion fitting the lower compression cylinder, a port extending out from each compression cylinder through the Wall of the explosion cylinder above and emerging in the outer face of the explosion cylinder, a port above said first mentioned port leading through the wall of each explosion cylinder, said port adapted to be uncovered by the downward travel of the corresponding piston, a casing secured directly to the upper explosion cylinders only and inclosing a pressure storage chamber in immediate connection to the last mentioned ports of both cylinders, said casing being open on the side toward the explosion cylinders and the walls of said cylinders forming a Wall of said compression chamber, an intake passage at the lower part of said casing, a vertical cylindrical v'ilve casing within said chamber casing having its upper end open to said chamber, its lower end open to said intake passage and having two oppositely disposed ports in its walls connecting respectively with the compression cylinder ports, and a rotating cylindrical valve in said valve easing having oppositely disposed ports adapted to register with said casing ports and havingl passages connecting said ports one to the upper and one to the lower end of the valve.

3. In combination, a crank case, a pair of compression cylinders thereon, an explosion cylinder above each compression cylinder, said explosion and compression cylinders being non-integral and the lower edges of the explosion cylinders forming heads for the compression cylinders, a piston in each set of cylinders, each piston having an upper portion fitting the upper explosion cylinder and a lower portion fitting the lower compression cylinder, a port extending out from each compression cylinder through the wall of the explosion cylinder above and emerging in the outer face of the explosion cylinder, a port above said first mentioned port leading through the wall of each explosion cylinder, said port adapted to be uncovered by the downward travel of the corresponding piston, a casing secured directly to the upper explosion cylinders only and inclosing a pressure storage chamber in immediate connection to the last mentioned ports of both cylinders, said casing being open on the side toward the explosion cylinders and the walls of said cylinders forming a wall of said compression chamber, an intake passage at the lower part of said casing, a vertical cylindrical valve casing within said chamber casing having its upper end open to said chamber its lower end open to said intake passage and having two oppositely disposed ports in its walls connected respectively with the compression cylinder ports, and a rotating hollow cylindrical valve in said Valve casing having oppositely disposed ports through its walls adapted to register with said casing ports and having a diagonal web extending across its interior from above one port to below the other.

4. In combination, a pair of cylinders and a piston in each cylinder, means for causing cooperation of the pistons, each cylinder having an upper explosion and a lower compression end, there being a compression port leading out from the compression end of each cylinder and there being an intake port leading into each explosion end to be uncovered by the piston in its travel therein, a casing secured against the sides of the cylinders, the side of the casing adjacent the cylinders being open so that the cylinders form one wall of a storage chamber of which the casing forms the other walls, said intake ports communicating directly with said chamber, a horizontal partition Wall in the casing dividing oil' lower compression passages from the said storage chamber, said compression passages registering with said compression ports, a cylindrical valve casing formed in said chamber casing, said valve casing having ports connecting with the compression passages and having one end open to said storage chamber, induction connection with the other end of the valve casing, a rotary hollow cylindrical valve having a transverse partition and having open ends and lateral ports adapted to register with said valve casing ports, and means to cause coperation of said valve and said pistons.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22nd day of October, 1913.

I J. T. DICKSON. VVit-nesses DRU. L. HOFFMAN,

JAMES T. BARKELEW. 

